In general, a washing machine may be an upright type (e.g., a top-loading washing machine) or a drum type (e.g., front-loading) washing machine. An upright washing machine holds laundry and rotates while upright, and a drum type washing machine rotates along a horizontal axis.
Since the upright type washing machine generally has a structure in which laundry is inserted from the top, the upright type washing machine is referred to as a top loading type washing machine, and since the drum type washing machine generally has a structure in which laundry is inserted from the front side, the drum type washing machine is referred to as a front loading type washing machine.
The washing machine generally includes a tub that stores water and a rotatable drum inside the tub that holds the laundry.
In general, the tub is fixed inside the washing machine, and the drum is inside the tub and may rotate. The drum has a plurality of holes therein, and water stored in the tub flows into the holes and is discharged from the drum through the holes.
In a drum type washing machine of the related art, a motor is mounted behind and/or below the tub, and the drum inside the tub is connected to the motor by a rotatable shaft in the tub having a bearing at the interface with the tub.
The washing machine of the related art washes laundry while the drum rotates and may cause noise and vibration due to the rotation of the drum, which may be large and heavy. Further, where a load distribution inside the drum is unbalanced during rotation, the drum may vibrate hard in one direction due to centrifugal force, and the resulting noise and vibration may be severe.
Some laundry may become tangled with other laundry and be damaged when the drum rotates, and a user may need to untangle laundry after completion of the washing, which is inconvenient.